Donkeys in Crete will get license plates. They will not carry their registration number on their head or their rump. The number that will allow them to wander around will be engraved on one of the four hoofs, I heard this morning on a Greek television channel.
Donkeys with license plates is a Greek measure to combat tax evasion.
The decision taken by the municipality council of Lasithi Plateau concerns those donkeys used to transfer tourists to the Dikteon Cave.
It is the end of a practice that caused several problems, Mayor Yiannis Stefanakis told local website ekriti.gr beginning a few of days ago.
The tourist transport is legalized, the donkeys will have the license plates, their owners will wear traditional costumes. They -the owners – will furthermore have receipts blocks and will be also register to the local register.
The decision to modernize and legalize the tourist transport on donkeys was taken unanimously by all donkey owners.
The donkey transport of tourists created major problems a couple of years ago, many owners ended up in the court rooms, the mayor said.
With the structural reform of the donkey transport sector, the closed profession finally opens.
Everyone who wants to exercise the profession will be able to apply and register at the department in charge by the municipality. However, Priority will be given to residents, students and to those belonging to vulnerable society groups, Stefanakis clarified.
No, the local council did not decide to enforce donkeys wandering around with a POS device.
Greece has been struggling for seven years to implement lenders’ dictates and proceed with much needed structural reforms and opening of closed professions. The union are much too strong and do not allow any change sin the status quo.
Apparently local communities are more flexible. All local communities? Of course, not. However, the idea of registering and taxing donkeys started a year ago.
In August 2016, the donkeys transporting tourists to the Acropolis of Lindos on the island of Rhodes fell victim to tax controls. A hefty fine of more than four thousand euro was imposed to the cute but hard-working donkeys for violating the tax law. Several donkeys were found to transport tourists up and down the Acropolis hill without issuing receipts.
Tax authorities estimated that the illegal transport by the patient carriers of human bodies was digging deep holes in the state revenues. Or something like that.
No state organization examined whether the donkeys had a good life.
In times of bailout agreements, lenders and austerity, all one cares about is filling state pockets to pay interest and loans back to lenders.
In times of bailout agreements, lenders and austerity, human life does not count. How much more a donkey life.
PS I find no sense in the measure that the owners wear traditional costumes. Probably, buying or sewing traditional costumes will boost the local economy and the clothes/retail sector.
Source: Keep Talking Greece